Month: February 2007

Liverpool’s new owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, had plenty to say on the day their takeover of the club was officially announced. They attended a long press conference and then held interviews with various media outlets.

Tom Hicks revealed how David Moores’ main concern was not a financial one when it came to deciding if the Gillett/Hicks partnership was the right one: “It was not a question of money, it was a question of, ‘Are we the proper custodians?’ and I believe we are.”

Hicks went on: “These opportunities happen just once every few generations. George called me about a month ago and explained what he thought was a vision and the opportunity at Liverpool. We sat around at the All Star game and we had enough chance to talk. It didn’t take me long.”

He continued: “I have followed the English Premier League from afar because some of my business friends are ardent fans of the game. When I looked into it I was awestruck with the history and true passion of the fans compared to other sports I am involved with. I had obviously heard of Liverpool, then I had the chance to read about 115 years of history on the internet, about the 18 championships and the success in Europe.”

Outgoing Liverpool Chairman David Moores stayed, as always, out of the spotlight yesterday as his beloved Reds were passed over to the new owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillet. Although he knew he had to sell the club in order for it to make the progress that Liverpool fans want it to make, it will have hurt him deeply to realise he was no longer in charge. He wasn’t even a minor shareholder now.

Liverpool have been looking for outside investment for some time, and Moores rejected many an interested party because he didn’t feel their bids were right for the club. A week ago Liverpool fans were worrying about transfer deadline day when all of a sudden it was announced the expected deal with Dubai International Capital was off. The speed with which this final deal went through is frightening in many ways, given the seemingly slow pace to the search prior to that point.

Speaking to the Liverpool Echo yesterday, Moores explained how tough the search had been: “It has been a long and hard grind for three years. There's been a fair amount of pressure and stress with it but at the end of the day – after a few kicks under the table from the chief executive Rick Parry – we have managed to battle on until we got what we consider to be the best bid for the club and the supporters. There has never been any dithering.”

Moores also wanted to point out that he did sell the club reluctantly, but says it was sold for the good of the club: “People who know me know that if I could have offered the stadium and found the £200m for it I would have done. But I could not and I will not hold the club back. We had to find the money from somewhere – for the stadium and for players so the manager can have good funds each season, and we are getting that with George Gillett and Tom Hicks. After a family involvement of over 50 years it has been an emotional time. I can’t have been easy to live with.”

Liverpool Football Club have just made the following formal announcement:

Liverpool FC today announced that the Board have agreed the terms of an offer for the Club from Mr George Gillett and Mr Tom Hicks. The Board are unanimously recommending that the Club’s shareholders accept this offer.
Full details of the offer were announced earlier today to the Stock Exchange.

Commenting on the offer, David Moores, Chairman of Liverpool said:
“I believe this is a great step forward for Liverpool, its shareholders and its fans. This Club is my passion and forms a huge part of my life. After much careful consideration, I have agreed to sell my shares to assist in securing the investment needed for the new stadium and for the playing squad. I urge all my fellow shareholders to do the same and to support the offer. By doing so, I believe you will be backing the successful future of Liverpool Football Club.

"I am also delighted to accept the offer from the Hicks and Gillett families to continue my involvement in the Club by becoming Honorary Life President.”

Rick Parry, Chief Executive of Liverpool, commented: “This is great for Liverpool, our supporters and the shareholders – it is the beginning of a new era for the Club.

“The partnership created by George and Tom is very special. They are bringing to the table tremendous and relevant experience, a passion for sport, real resources and a strong commitment to the traditions of Liverpool. Their approach represents exactly the sort of genuine partnership that Liverpool has been seeking over recent times.

“We know that George and Tom want a long-term relationship with Liverpool and that they also understand the importance of investing in our success both on and off the field. They have made clear their intention to move as quickly as practicable on the financing and construction of our proposed new stadium at Stanley Park and also to support investment in the playing squad.

“This has been an important time for the Club. We now have the right partners for the future. I am absolutely certain we have now ended up in the right place, with owners who will help the Club succeed and prosper.”

Commenting on the offer, George Gillett and Tom Hicks said: “Liverpool is a fantastic club with a remarkable history and a passionate fanbase. We fully acknowledge and appreciate the unique heritage and rich history of Liverpool and intend to respect this heritage in the future. The Hicks family and the Gillett family are extremely excited about continuing the Club’s legacy and tradition.

“We are particularly pleased that David Moores and Rick Parry will have a continuing involvement in the Club. For us continuity and stability are keys to the future.”

Liverpool Football Club have just made the following formal announcement:

Liverpool FC today announced that the Board have agreed the terms of an offer for the Club from Mr George Gillett and Mr Tom Hicks. The Board are unanimously recommending that the Club’s shareholders accept this offer.
Full details of the offer were announced earlier today to the Stock Exchange.

Commenting on the offer, David Moores, Chairman of Liverpool said:
“I believe this is a great step forward for Liverpool, its shareholders and its fans. This Club is my passion and forms a huge part of my life. After much careful consideration, I have agreed to sell my shares to assist in securing the investment needed for the new stadium and for the playing squad. I urge all my fellow shareholders to do the same and to support the offer. By doing so, I believe you will be backing the successful future of Liverpool Football Club.

"I am also delighted to accept the offer from the Hicks and Gillett families to continue my involvement in the Club by becoming Honorary Life President.”

Rick Parry, Chief Executive of Liverpool, commented: “This is great for Liverpool, our supporters and the shareholders – it is the beginning of a new era for the Club.

“The partnership created by George and Tom is very special. They are bringing to the table tremendous and relevant experience, a passion for sport, real resources and a strong commitment to the traditions of Liverpool. Their approach represents exactly the sort of genuine partnership that Liverpool has been seeking over recent times.

“We know that George and Tom want a long-term relationship with Liverpool and that they also understand the importance of investing in our success both on and off the field. They have made clear their intention to move as quickly as practicable on the financing and construction of our proposed new stadium at Stanley Park and also to support investment in the playing squad.

“This has been an important time for the Club. We now have the right partners for the future. I am absolutely certain we have now ended up in the right place, with owners who will help the Club succeed and prosper.”

Commenting on the offer, George Gillett and Tom Hicks said: “Liverpool is a fantastic club with a remarkable history and a passionate fanbase. We fully acknowledge and appreciate the unique heritage and rich history of Liverpool and intend to respect this heritage in the future. The Hicks family and the Gillett family are extremely excited about continuing the Club’s legacy and tradition.

“We are particularly pleased that David Moores and Rick Parry will have a continuing involvement in the Club. For us continuity and stability are keys to the future.”

Liverpool Football Club have just made the following formal announcement:

Liverpool FC today announced that the Board have agreed the terms of an offer for the Club from Mr George Gillett and Mr Tom Hicks. The Board are unanimously recommending that the Club’s shareholders accept this offer.
Full details of the offer were announced earlier today to the Stock Exchange.

Commenting on the offer, David Moores, Chairman of Liverpool said:
“I believe this is a great step forward for Liverpool, its shareholders and its fans. This Club is my passion and forms a huge part of my life. After much careful consideration, I have agreed to sell my shares to assist in securing the investment needed for the new stadium and for the playing squad. I urge all my fellow shareholders to do the same and to support the offer. By doing so, I believe you will be backing the successful future of Liverpool Football Club.

"I am also delighted to accept the offer from the Hicks and Gillett families to continue my involvement in the Club by becoming Honorary Life President.”

Rick Parry, Chief Executive of Liverpool, commented: “This is great for Liverpool, our supporters and the shareholders – it is the beginning of a new era for the Club.

“The partnership created by George and Tom is very special. They are bringing to the table tremendous and relevant experience, a passion for sport, real resources and a strong commitment to the traditions of Liverpool. Their approach represents exactly the sort of genuine partnership that Liverpool has been seeking over recent times.

“We know that George and Tom want a long-term relationship with Liverpool and that they also understand the importance of investing in our success both on and off the field. They have made clear their intention to move as quickly as practicable on the financing and construction of our proposed new stadium at Stanley Park and also to support investment in the playing squad.

“This has been an important time for the Club. We now have the right partners for the future. I am absolutely certain we have now ended up in the right place, with owners who will help the Club succeed and prosper.”

Commenting on the offer, George Gillett and Tom Hicks said: “Liverpool is a fantastic club with a remarkable history and a passionate fanbase. We fully acknowledge and appreciate the unique heritage and rich history of Liverpool and intend to respect this heritage in the future. The Hicks family and the Gillett family are extremely excited about continuing the Club’s legacy and tradition.

“We are particularly pleased that David Moores and Rick Parry will have a continuing involvement in the Club. For us continuity and stability are keys to the future.”

Liverpool boss Rafael Benítez has now left Anfield on what is expected to be the day that Liverpool's new owners are formally announced.

An announcement had been expected first thing this morning, but as the day ticked on there was no official word from Anfield. Sky Sports cameras showed Rafa arriving at 9.30am, an hour after the expected new owners, Hicks and Gillett had arrived.

Sky showed Rafa leaving around an hour after he had arrived, and said an announcement was "imminent".

The plans for today had been said to consist of an afternoon press conference following on from the morning announcement. The club have closed the message boards on their official site.

Liverpool fans continue to wait anxiously for an official announcement that American sports tycoons George Gillett and Tom Hicks are to pay £470m for the most successful club in English football history.

Gillett and Hicks are both owners of ice hockey teams in the US, and their offer was reported to have been set for official notification to the stock exchange at 7.30am this morning. At least that’s how local media – press and TV – reported the situation overnight.

That time came and went without any announcement, but at around 8.30am the two businessmen arrived at Anfield. An hour later and Rafa Benítez arrived too, as reported by Sky Sports News.

The £470m cost will be split equally between the two men, with £215m said to be for the costs of building the new stadium, which will not be shared with the smaller club in the city.

It seems highly unlikely that this morning will pass without an announcement of some kind, and if the announcement is that the club are finally set to be taken over then it will be the biggest announcement made by the club in many years.

Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr will be in England on Monday to announce their takeover bid for five-times Champions of Europe Liverpool FC.

The two American investors have had their informal offer informally accepted by David Moores – the formalities will begin next week, in a move that will see chairman David Moores net an amount believed to be as high as £88m for his majority shareholding.

A press conference will revealt that current Chief Executive Rick Parry will be remaining in place at the club after the takeover keeping a high-profile position in the new-look organisation. Hicks and Gillett have gone halves on this deal, which will cost them a total of £470m.

Concerns remain amongst Liverpool fans, who had only accepted the previous DIC offer reluctantly after being convinced by Moores and Parry that it was 100% the right deal for the club. Will we ever find out the truth about what happened?

Liverpool Chief Executive Rick Parry has asked Liverpool fans not to worry about the turmoil surrounding the club’s hopes of investment.

Speaking to the Liverpool Echo’s Chris Bascombe, Parry said: “The overriding message is – ‘don’t worry’. Whatever decision is finally taken will be done so in the best interests of Liverpool Football Club. When we have more to say, we are sure it will be good news and the right news.”

No doubt many versions of the events of the past 48 hours will emerge over time, but Parry wanted to get across his version after receiving a lot of criticism for yesterday’s near silence on the issue: “We had a duty as directors to consider a very interesting bid from George Gillett. The price is not a factor in David Moores’s mind. He is not after cash for himself, absolutely not. But he felt compelled to consider the rival bid. The DIC response to this was to give the club 12 hours to make a decision, but the chairman was not prepared to have Liverpool Football Club bullied like that.”

If true it puts the DIC bid into a whole new light. If DIC, as they claimed, really did care about the club, why could they not wait a few days for a decision?

Parry also faces accusations now that the club have missed out on the better deal, and are now going to have to settle for the back-up plan. He says this isn’t the case at all: “We would also stress this is not a question of going for the second choice. David has always given George Gillett serious consideration while at the same time we didn’t want to rush into any decision, and we were aware DIC might walk away.”

There were rumours circulating from the start of the DIC period of due diligence that Gillett’s plans included a ground-share with Everton, something that was guaranteed to put Liverpool fans off any move by Gillett. Parry again denied this: “George Gillett has made it absolutely clear to us he will not be in favour of a ground-share. There will be funding for the new stadium and a proper commitment to investment in the team.”

Parry denied that the DIC withdrawal had left Liverpool in the lurch: “We have not been left high and dry but the focus is on George Gillett. There are other expressions of interest but we hope to conclude a deal going forward with George Gillett.”

Different parties all need to leak different stories to get themselves seen in the better light. Perhaps Gillett did want ground-share originally; perhaps the story was leaked by those favouring a DIC deal. Some stories coming from Anfield are claiming that Moores decided against the DIC deal not because of Gillett’s higher bid, but because DIC had lowered their bid. Other stories are blaming it all on Moores wanting the extra cash he’d get from Gillett. This flies in the face of common belief about Moores, who has always been seen as someone with only the club’s best interests at heart. According to Parry, Moores isn’t putting his personal finances ahead of Liverpool’s best interests: “Be assured the only thing David Moores is concerned about is the club being in the right hands for the future. You can be certain he has done his homework carefully and will make a decision in the best interests of the club. The fans have trusted David to do the right thing in the past and can be sure that’s what he’s doing now. If they thought the Dubai bid was good, rest assured he is now considering a different course for the right reasons.”

If anything the move to be taken over by DIC wasn’t so much welcomed by fans as reluctantly accepted. They resigned themselves to it, as something that was inevitable. There was a lot of trust from the fans, but a lot of questions are still to be answered if that trust is to remain. Liverpool need investment to move forward, and there are no extremely-well-to-do Liverpool fans on the scene ready to throw such sums of money around. Parry hints at the Gillett deal suddenly being much, much better than the one put on the table by DIC, and says that the price-per-share isn’t an important factor in why that deal now seems better. We need some explanations, legislation permitting.

Just to add more confusion to the situation, the Echo says that Northern Ireland entrepreneur John Miskelly has re-entered the arena. Miskelly owns an executive box at the club, and had a bid of £220m turned down in November. This figure was made up of £140m for his valuation of the club, £50m towards the new stadium and £30m as a transfer fund. The Echo says he went to the club accountants to remind them that his offer is still open.

Continuing with the spirit of leaks, a “source close to Miskelly” told the paper that, “John has put a real offer on the table. He is a staunch fan with a hugely successful background who wants to be taken seriously as someone who can take the club forward. He has stayed in the background so far, and as a fan was happy with the DIC bid.”

The source had an interesting observation about how Miskelly was looking at Gillett’s offer: “What’s confusing to him now is why anyone would pay £5,000 a share for Liverpool when the next offer is £4,000 a share? Surely it would make more sense to make a lower bid and invest the rest in the club and the team? Those who’ve seen the books know this is an overvaluation of the club, which is why we’d question the motives and like to be considered as a viable alternative.”

Expect more and more claims and counter-claims in the next few days as all concerned parties use the media to get their own points across, directly or indirectly.

There is still no indication from the FA Premier League about how long they'll take to mull over Liverpool's loan signing of Javier Mascherano before giving him permission to play for the club. There's also little indication about what their concerns actually are.

They released a statement last night confirming they had received all the paperwork from the clubs involved in good time. It read: "The Premier League can confirm that, in accordance with its rules, Javier Mascherano’s registration documents were received from Liverpool FC prior to the transfer window closing. While Liverpool have met the required deadline the Premier League Board, consistent with its powers in this matter, has decided to take time to satisfy itself with the proposed arrangements before the registration can be effected and the player permitted to play for Liverpool FC. The board will consider the terms of the registration as quickly as possible and notify the parties involved of its decision accordingly."

Earlier in the day FIFA had confirmed the news they had given to Liverpool on Tuesday, that they would allow Mascherano's loan move to go ahead. One reason being speculated about for the Premier League's delay is that the player's ownership isn't clear, and so some other ruling – a Premier League one – might kick in and prevent the player from appearing for the club.

Mascherano himself was delighted earlier in the day when he thought the deal was just a formality. He spoke after hearing FIFA's decision: "The club has done a lot for making this easier, they did a great presentation and that's why now I am allowed to play for Liverpool. I went through a very bad moment but now Liverpool has appeared and I want to do my work as best as possible for showing that I still have the same ambitions as when I arrived in England. Rafa Benítez gave me a lot of confidence since the first moment that I spoke with him."

Mascherano said that the call from Liverpool was totally unexpected: "Personally I even got very surprised with the chance of being transferred to Liverpool considering that I haven't been playing since December 3rd at West Ham. Now a new page starts in my career and I want to again be the player that I was some time ago and fight for a place at Liverpool. I want to give my best to this team that has done such a big effort to have me in the squad. In addition to that I want to work very hard for Liverpool and for myself win a place again in the Argentinian national team."